The Devil and Tom Walker

by Washington Irving

The Devil and Tom Walker: Genre 1 key example

Genre
Explanation and Analysis:

"The Devil and Tom Walker" is a classic example of a morality tale.  A morality tale conveys a simple moral lesson, marking a clear distinction between good and bad characters, and between moral and immoral actions. Characters in a morality tale often face a decision with ethical consequences, and readers expect that a character who has made the “wrong” choice will be punished by the story’s end. Many well-known fables could be categorized as morality tales, and there are many fable-like elements to this story, from the simplicity of its characters to its reliance on local superstitions and figures from folk-mythology.